Lay Old Ghosts Down
by Devon Shea
Summary: A television show brings Merlin's past up.


"This area, of course, has been plagued with ghost stories for centuries. Ever since the Battle of Camlann caused such devastation in the ranks of both the soldiers of Camelot and the Saxons. If we go there for our investigation, we're sure to find something."

Merlin shook his head and reached for the remote control to turn off the television. They were idiots. No one should ever look for ghosts. Truthfully, one never really needed to look for them. They were always around. Take the ghost of Wally, for instance. He was just sitting in the corner of the park outside Merlin's window, staring at the river. He had been there every day, regardless of weather, for at least as long as Merlin had owned this flat.

He was about to press the button when the show's lead moron mentioned that they had been hired to check out Pendragon House. Merlin snorted. If they decided to look into Pendragon House, Merlin wished them luck. That place was more haunted than Camlann.

"So, let's meet the owners of Pendragon House, and see why they've called us." The scene cut to the lead introducing Merlin's ex-boyfriend, Arthur, and his sister, Morgana to the audience. "Now what have you experienced that makes you think this house is haunted?"

"Ah, well, I had an old friend that would insist that the creaks and oddities that Morgana and I grew up with were actually ghosts." Arthur was adorable when he was flustered. Merlin sometimes forgot just how adorable the arrogant ass could be at the right moment. "He eventually stopped coming here because of it." _No_ , Merlin thought, _I stopped coming over because we broke up due to you being a flaming arsehole over those ghosts._

Morgana's mouth quirked at the same time Merlin thought that, so he figured she was at least a bit amused by her brother's glossing over the break-up. Merlin had always liked Arthur's sister. "Our friend would point out things that we grew up not paying attention to. It made us curious, and lately the disturbances have gotten a bit more dramatic. Maybe it's just that we're paying more attention to them."

"I wonder if we might be able to speak with this friend. Maybe he can give us more specifics?"

Merlin chuckled at the briefest hint of annoyance he saw in Arthur's face, something only a person who had been as close as he had would recognize. "We've lost touch with him. Sorry."

"Pity." The investigator went on blithely, "I'd like a tour of the house and maybe you could show us the most intense areas of haunting before we plan where to put our equipment."

The rest of the episode went as Merlin assumed it would. Equipment showed hot and cold spots, recorded garbled voices where there shouldn't be, and just generally found vague evidence of ghostly activity, all presented in as dramatic fashion as the host could deliver. Of course, if they had actually investigated the one room Arthur and Morgana didn't let them into, they would have definitely gotten their money's worth.

Merlin shuddered, recalling the frightening events that had led to his break-up with Arthur and vow to never set foot in Pendragon House again.

Generally, Merlin loved Samhain. Sure it meant there were more ghosts around, and some of them weren't the nicest, but most ghosts were just happy to have someone around who would nod to them, and just acknowledge their existence. He should have known better than to spend Samhain at Pendragon House, though. Too many ghosts called it home.

Merlin had gone over after his family's ritual to spend the evening with Arthur. They had been together for almost two years by then, and Merlin was thinking about the long haul, permanence, and a lifetime commitment to the man who both delighted and annoyed him. He'd planned on talking to Arthur about it that night. Merlin was just walking to Arthur's bedroom when he passed the room Arthur and Morgana kept closed. Apparently, it had been Arthur's father's room, and the two just hadn't been able to bring themselves to clean it out yet. Merlin had never met Uther, but he understood. His own father had died when he was a boy and the family still mourned his loss.

That night, the door stood ajar as he passed it, a dim light shining in the crack of the door. Curiosity was always Merlin's kryptonite, so he nudged it open to see who was in there. Maybe Arthur or Morgana had finally been able to come to terms with their father's death and would need a shoulder to cry on. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room before his gaze took in the form of a man sitting at a small desk under the window. He was definitely not one of the living; the fact that Merlin could see the shape of the tree in the moonlight through him gave it away.

"Come in, Merlin." The man turned and looked directly at Merlin.

Merlin stood up straight and gulped. This could only be Uther Pendragon. Merlin had looked at the painted portrait of the man in the main hallway every time he visited. "Sir." Merlin usually didn't have full conversations with ghosts, especially not as the first meeting with his boyfriend's father, but it looked as if this Samhain, he was going to have one.

Uther seemed to have no time to waste. "You love my son?"

"I do, Lord Pendragon." It didn't hurt to refer to anyone by their title, even if they were dead, right?

Uther nodded and looked back out the window. "Pity." He turned back to Merlin and seemed to look past him toward the doorway, the expression on his face softening for a moment.

"Merlin? What are you doing in here?" Arthur was standing behind him, the moonlight making the pain and anger in his face appear stark. "I've asked you not to come in here."

Merlin gestured toward Uther. "Your father opened the door and wanted me-"

"My father is dead, Merlin, he can't open any doors." Arthur's voice was gruff from emotion.

Merlin took a deep breath. "Arthur, I know you don't put much stock in my 'witchy' faith, as you call it, but I'm telling you, Uther is right there." Merlin pointed at the ghost sitting calmly at his desk. "He's sitting at that desk, looking at both of us."

Uther's face became smug as he watched Arthur's face become more clouded as Merlin spoke. "It won't do you any good, boy. He won't listen to you. I'll see him married to Godwin's daughter yet."

Merlin spoke over Arthur's splutters, "Who is Godwin's daughter?"

"What? Merlin?" Arthur's mouth opened and closed. "Elena Godwin? What does she have to do with you going the only place in this entire house you're not allowed?"

"Your father just said something about you marrying her."

"I'm not marrying Elena, for God's sake. I'm gay. How do you even know her name?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and pointed back at the ghost. " _He_ said it. Not me. I've never even heard of her before now."

"Merlin, my father's dead and this is no longer funny. No, it was never funny." Arthur reached for Merlin's hand and pulled him from the room, closing the door with a firm snap. "I think maybe you should go home."

"Arthur, your father is a ghost. I can see him. He's right in-" Merlin paused as the shade of Uther Pendragon walked right through the door. "Well, now he's standing right next to you."

Merlin watched Arthur stiffen, his head unerringly turning a little in the direction of the slight cold spot he felt beside him, before he glared even harder at Merlin. "This is not a joke, Merlin. I know you say you believe in this shit, but I don't. My house is not haunted. Not by my father, not by my mother, not by that little boy you say you keep seeing in the corner of Morgana's study." He blew out his breath. "I am done with this. You know what, I am done with you."

"Arthur, I'm telling you the truth. Your father is right there." Merlin pointed at the seemingly empty space next to his lover. "He's wearing some sort of long blue coat." Merlin grimaced. "And he's not happy with you and me being together, apparently."

"Enough, Merlin!" Arthur's hands crossed his chest. "Leave. We are done."

Merlin had drawn himself up to his full height and breathed out gustily. "I love you, Arthur. I'm not lying, but I will leave. Call me if you calm down." He looked straight at Uther, and addressed the smirking ghost, "Obviously, you're happy you've won. I hope you realize that he should be able to live his life the way he needs to, not the way you want. You're dead. Leave him alone." Merlin turned and left as he heard Arthur growl, stopping only long enough to retrieve his overnight bag, coat, and say good-bye to Morgana.

That had been nearly five years ago. Merlin had moved on and created a whole new life for himself. In fact, he was waiting for his husband to come home from a long business trip. Arthur breaking up with him had probably been the best thing that had ever happened to him. If it hadn't been for a night spent on Gwen's couch after a drunken bout of weeping and moaning over what had ended, Elyan never would have plucked up the nerve to ask a disheveled Merlin, with terrible morning and alcohol breath, out on a date.

Merlin had been so shocked that his best friend's older brother would ever look at him that way that he'd simply stammered something that vaguely sounded like a yes before he fled the house the siblings had inherited. He couldn't bring himself to disappoint Elyan, so he'd gone on the date, planning to let the man down gently. But they'd had fun and went on another date, and then another, then another, and at some point Merlin realized he had fallen in love with this surprising man he'd never really thought of before.

While he was smiling at the memory, he heard the door unlock and open. The luggage Elyan carried in dropped on the floor at the door. It could be taken care of later. Merlin left the living room and met his husband in the hallway, wrapping his arms around the brawnier man as he kissed him. "Hello, love." He stroked Elyan's cheek while he looked him over. "You look exhausted."

Elyan sighed. "You would not believe the flight from Hell I had today. Once we got on the tarmac they had us in a holding pattern on the ground for almost an hour, but they wouldn't let us turn our devices on."

"I looked on the app and saw you were delayed. I wasn't worried."

"Mmm," Elyan murmured his approval as Merlin led him to the couch before sitting behind him and gathering him close. His eyes were closed as he leaned back against Merlin's chest, relishing the feel of Merlin's lips against his temple. Suddenly, he sat upright, his eyes opening as he heard a voice from the television he recognized. "Is that Arthur?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I guess dear old dad finally did something that got the Pendragons' knickers in big enough knots because they actually invited those ghost hunters to find out if the house is really haunted." Merlin shrugged. "I told them it was years ago. If they wanted to waste their time and money on those charlatans, good luck to them."

Elyan turned to look at Merlin. The break-up of Arthur and Merlin and subsequent marriage of Merlin and Elyan had done a number on their group of friends. All three men tried hard to make sure they didn't pull their friends in different directions, and were civil when in the same company, but it wasn't the same as it had been when they were all in university. Elyan knew what caused the break-up. He knew it was the ghosts that Merlin saw on a regular basis. "How are you with this?"

"Elyan, I told them. I told Arthur what happened and he didn't want to believe me." Merlin shook his head. "He didn't have faith in me. Does it still hurt? Yes, a little. He was my best male friend before we were lovers. He should have believed me. Am I over it? Pretty much. We were all Sturm und Drang. If we didn't break up then, we would have later. Maybe after we had gotten married and done something like adopt. It's good that it happened when it did." Merlin pressed another kiss on Elyan's cheek. "Besides, if we hadn't broken up, you never would have asked me on a date, and _we_ never would have happened."

Merlin pushed Elyan up, joining him in front of the couch, "I love you, Elyan. You are kind, funny, handsome, stubborn, and sexy as hell, and I have missed you dearly these last three weeks. Go to the bedroom. I'll get your bags and bring them into the laundry room. We can take care of that tomorrow. Tonight, we're celebrating your homecoming."

Elyan grinned and kissed his husband. "Make sure you bring the small bag with you. I have something for us in there." Winking, he trailed his hand down Merlin's chest, enjoying the flush on the paler man's skin when he skimmed over his tightening groin. Another kiss and Elyan turned for the the bedroom, leaving Merlin slightly breathless.

Merlin leaned over the table for the remote control and paused the screen for a moment on a shot of Arthur's face. His mouth quirked up at the side. A life with Arthur would have been exciting and intense, but Merlin was quite happy with the strong love of a gentler, less abrasive man. There were enough ghosts roaming this world; the ghost of a dead relationship was one Merlin was happy he had put to rest years ago.

* * *

Merlin belongs to BBC and Shine.


End file.
